Annabella stood over the sink with her hand over her mouth, her head spinning in all directions. She downed some Dramamine and held tightly to the edge of the granite counter tops. Her knees buckling.
"Annie? You OK love?" Sayuri cooed as she patted Annabella's back, and tossed her hair around playfully, something she had done since they were little girls.
"Yeah....I'll be fine. It was just that plane ride, my whole system is shocked." Said the blond as she hugged her two best friends whom she knew as things so close to real sisters, loving their support, even when she was ruining the whole 'new home' thing by being plane sick.
The house was medium sized and had a huge basement and a big room for the three and a half women. Already it was a huge change, packing their bags from the outer rim of Veronaville to settle into the newly named town of Prosperous Acres.They had been best friends for a long time, desperately different yet all blending together.
Living in the house is Annabella, the leader of sorts. She takes charge of her two reckless sisters and desperately is hoping for a family of her own. Her most remarkable feature is her mysterious ball-joints and pale white skin, which gleams the moon's rays silently.She has a ghastly past, but she still wears a polite little smile, and hopes to find someone to love one day.
Then there is Olive. Her full name is Olive Honeyluck but she greatly prefers being called Olive. A true Romantic, she won't let anyone get in the way of her next beau, and I mean anything. She loves athletics and music. She's a typical tomboy girl, after all. She has had a past of canoodling and wanted to leave when she received death threats from angry girlfriends and wives.
"It's not my fault their man is so adorable!" She once said, in typical Olive fashion.
"It's not my fault their man is so adorable!" She once said, in typical Olive fashion.
Then there is Sayuri Pinkheart, a name she came up with in kindergarten and legally changed to later. Sayuri is the kind of woman who reads a book for it's pictures and when she finds out there are none, tosses it away. She is kind and gentle and is especially warm to her two adopted sisters, Annabella and Olive, and her daughter, Minnie.
Speaking of Minnie, there she is. Almost always wearing an expression of calm interest, Minnie tackles her dilemmas head on and has a spelling bee championship ribbon tucked in her suitcase. She tries to break the boundaries set by adults, in a good way of course.
Flip, flip, flip
Annabella and Minnie quickly leafed through the pages of the familiar books from their old home, all while sitting in their new home. Annabella smiled to herself and looked up at her two sisters.
"I can't believe we are already enamored in our activities and we haven't even picked out our rooms yet!" She said and giggled lightheartedly.
"Your right Annie." Sayuri said while casting a long, fat strand of gray across the canvas. "It's just like how it was in Verona-" Sayuri cut herself off before she could say anything more. It had been a touchy subject to all of them, Especially Annabella.
Olive swiftly changed the subject.
"Well I'm just using this rope I found outside to jump with. There's a local triathlon here every July. Gotta build my stamina. God, what I would do for a Bow-flex....."
"Olly, you know we don't have that kinda money. We just got this house and the new encyclopedias for Minnie." She gestured to the quiet little figure sitting beside her. Minnie continued gazing at her book, not looking up at her name being spoken.
"There's just things we can't have for a while."
Olive turned to her other blond sister and sighed loudly.
"There's just things we can't have for a while." Olive repeated, semi mockingly and in a chipmunk squeaky voice.
Sayuri tried her best to keep the impeding laughter in, but failed miserably as a round of giggles exploded between the two. Annabella blushed a deep scarlet and got up and left the room, her shyness evident even with the people she is closest to.
She made her way into the kitchen instead and smoothed her hand over the stainless steel refrigerator. She had always wanted one of those but never thought she would actually have one. She opened one of the suitcases by the door and pulled out a blue cooler and took out the few ingredients she had kept from back home.
Home.
She settled the words into her brain and vowed to never think of that home again. This is home, she thought over and over again as she laid three pieces of poorly cut cheese onto a bed of white bread, Minnie's favorite kind. She dug the butter knife into a small pot of mustard and gently put them together. She then cut it into two crisp sections and put them both on cheap paper plates.
Her past was hard to think of, painful in fact. She remembered the day she was mailed to the man she was supposed to succumb to. He was large and had oily hair and only one thing on his terrible mind. She was part of the doll lover series, where you could adopt a remarkably human like doll who would give you what you wanted. Annabella had endured the man's torture until she could escape, and she found her two best friends, Olive and Sayuri. They built her back up when she had been knocked down so hard.
Outside, Olive had shot down the stairs and was greeting the slew of people who had shown up to welcome them to the neighborhood. She smiled wide as she met a particularly average looking man. Nothing special, but at least he was company. She took the reins and shook his hand vigorously.
"I'm Olive! Olive LaRose! So great to meet you!"
His eyes widened and his hands straightened into a praying pose.
"Olive, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I was just heading by to greet the neighbors. Oh! How rude of me! I didn't even tell you my name yet." He slid his glasses down lower on his nose, a move that was so obviously flirting, it made Olive giggle.
"My name is Brent Songshaper. So pleased to meet you m'lady."
Brent lightly picked up Olive's hand and kissed it, for a few seconds more than what would be considered "appropriate."
Suddenly footsteps click-clacked up the concrete sidewalk and a small figure wearing a short green dress walked up and latched onto his side, kissing his cheek. Olive laughed darkly out loud and wondered if she had any idea how much she knew about her man. She considered telling her but decided that ignorance is bliss in this case. She had already tore up enough families in the past, and she decided she didn't need any of that in her new home.
"Oh honey, I love you so much!" She squealed as she leaped into his arms, his strength faltering.
"Er...I love you to baby." He said and grunted as he stood her on the ground, his cheeks red.
"WEEEEEE!!" Minnie screamed as she took another leap into the air, the springs in the bed squeaking angrily.
Minnie was usually not the type to engage in so called "childish activities" but this was a rare moment. She hopped up and tried to execute a back flip but fell on to the carpet, a loud clunk erupting.
"Minnie?!! You OK up there? Mousy?" Sayuri said from downstairs, hearing the boom.
"Fine...." She said while the world spun around her.
Still reeling from the experience, she stumbled downstairs and was suddenly surrounded by people she had never met.
"Oh!! What a cutie!" remarked Mistale Songshaper as she beamed in the direction of Minnie. "What's your name sweetie?"
"Minnerini Rosela" Minnie said as her eyes crossed in all directions.
"Erm, alrighty then...." Mistale said and quickly walked into the living room and away from Minnie, who was just beginning to collect her equilibrium.
Click.....click....click
Annabella studied the listings and information on chefjobztoday.com, looking to the job that called to her heart. She adored cooking and food and the way someone's face lights up when they have a fantastic plate of lasagna. The weirdest part of this is that she doesn't even have to eat. She chooses to eat. The joints in her body show that she is different. Very, very different.
She clicked once more and found exactly what she was looking for. A job in a high end kitchen as a Porcelain Polisher, erm, dish washer. She felt elation run through her veins and was so happy she could be able to pursue her dreams, even if she had to start at the very bottom.
"And I screamed and held my arms in the air. Everything was just insanity when the power went out!" Sayuri yelled out to the other man who had come to welcome them to the neighborhood, Brendan Fields.
"So...the power went out in an ice cream shop? And everyone was screaming?" He asked, somewhat stumped on her outgoing personality and wild garb.
"Well of course! Wouldn't you be concerned if all that strawberrystopsign, choco-bunny, and cheesycakey ice cream went to waste?" She said and gestured wildly, hitting Brendan in the arm and sending hot gooey cheese across his shirt.
"Yeah, I don't think this is working out. I'm gonna go" He pointed in a random direction. "Over there."
Olive leafed through the pages of classifieds and circled the:
"WANTED: fun, pretty young women to work downtown at Victorious Vinal record store. Must love music."
She figured her and Sayuri could do it together and have some fun even though it fit under the ugly word of 'work'. She looked up from the paper and saw Brent, flexing his muscles, even though he didn't have much.
"Hey Olive. Check this out!" And he continued to stretch the muscles but all that she really got out of it was that he had horrible fashion sense in sweatshirts. That and that he was a jerkwad.
"Umm, I just wanted to say that that dress is really pretty." She stumbled as Annabella tried hard to make conversation with the guests that were still wandering around her house.
"Well thank you sweetie. Your pretty yourself. And I couldn't help but notice that your different." She shifted her eyes to her joints but then slid her hand to her hair to expose her long and pointy ears. "I'm different too."
Annabella couldn't believe her luck in finding someone that could attest to being a "freak of nature." Her eyes lit up.
"We should talk about it sometime. People like us need to stick together."Annabella said and felt like her heart was just a little warmer from talking to this stranger.
Meanwhile, Olive had already moved on to the sidewalk once again and found a Mr.Long particularly sweet and better yet, single, with no tiny green dress and overly emotional girl waiting around him. She decided to swoop in for the kill, erm, flirt.
"I like blond boys.." She whispered intently into his ear. She felt his body heat up. "Your hot Ben."
"Well, I don't wanna toot my own horn but I am pretty hawt." Benjamin announced, proud and obnoxious.
Olive stepped back and sighed.
"I mean warm. As in temperature. You know?"
and at that moment his temperature went from warm to stone cold and icy.
He smiled dumbly and it was extremely lucky for Olive and Benjamin that Goopy GilsCarbo walked by and looked Olive up and down, looking impressed.
"Aw girl, you lookin' good! M-m-m I'm lovin' it! You must be new 'cuz I aint seen a pretty little angel like you!" Goopy slurred, and took a swig from the bottle in his pocket.
Olive didn't mind. At least he was entertaining.
Inside, feathers were flying and the culprits were those wily newlyweds, Brent and Mistale. They were engaged in a full on fight that could have passed for a match on WWE.
"Ya know this is our house. And those are our pillows. And your kinda making a huge mess.." Sayuri said as the lovebirds continued to smack each other in the face.
She just stood there and watched until the hitting stopped and the kissing started.
Back outside, Olive was still toying with Goopy, while he continued complimenting her between sips of what smelled like vodka. He reeked of it.
"So sweets, this your place? We should sooo go in and have ourself a little woohoo to top of this beautiful night." He winked awkwardly and she pulled her head back and laughed. She may be a romantic but she wasn't easy. But she bent in just to have a little more fun.
"Oh sweetie I'd LOVE to." She leaned in even closer, to where there lips were a hair's length from touching. "But I totally have this baked Alaska in the oven and it can't wait."
It was a total lie yet he bought it, taking a large gulp of his drink. He wiped his mouth with his arm and looked like he had quite a few to many.
He just stared dreamily until Olive finally realized what he was staring at and she rushed up the stairs, suddenly exhausted and ready for bed in her new house.
The next morning, Minnie and Sayuri were up early, and were commencing in the daily ritual of dancing before school. And today was extra special because it was a new school, new town, new people. Minnie wasn't nervous though. She had always been a bit of a loner at heart, and if she didn't ,make friends is didn't faze her. At least she led on that image.
Their feet sidled across the wood floors while a Brianna Spears song played on the little radio by the window. When the last notes played Minnie hugged her mother and Sayuri squeezed back, not quiet wanting to let her Angel go.
"You have a good day Mousy. And be safe." She said as she kissed her beautiful daughter on the cheek.
"I will momma!" She said as she smiled wide while carrying her backpack in her hands.
She sped down the steps and onto the bus, which conveniently stopped in front of their house.
"Hi! I'm Minnie!" She beamed as she looked up at her driver.
"Well hey there Minnie! Great to have you on bus 76!"
Shortly after Minnie's departure, Olive and Sayuri jumped into their carpool for Victorious Vinal and high fived each other while on their way.
"We are doing good Olly, we got a job, a house and each other!" They hugged each other in the tight car, the engine rumbling.
And even though the car smelled like beef jerky and sweat, it was all alright, and they were going somewhere with there lives, something they never would have thought possible those many years ago when they were all in the same orphanage, confused and lonely.
Annabella also went in for her first day on the job, being picked up in a mysteriously similar car like the one Sayuri and Olive were picked up in. It was a total coincidence of course. Even that hand print in the dirt. After all, doesn't everyone have a hand print in their car?
Six hours later, the bright yellow bus wheeled around the corner and Minnie stepped off, sure to wave back to the bus driver before leaving. But as soon as she hit the pavement, she wrenched open her backpack and tore open the little manila envelope, exposing the crisp white report card she had been given just that day.
"A C?" She scratched her head and sighed. "I blame this school system. Doesn't everyone else start out perfect? That way you can maintain it or ruin it?" She pondered this and shook her head.
It wasn't long after Minnie had came back home that Sayuri and Olive also made it home. They were pleased with their new career choice.
"Did you see that hottie that came up and talked to me? He was all like 'I was looking for some rock songs but now all I wanna do is rock your world'." Olive exclaimed, proud of her work ringing up music junkies and doing not much else.
"Yeah, I think it was kinda hard to miss Olly. He said that and then you both started making out. Right in front of our boss." Sayuri said while picking out the good mail from the junk.
Olive sighed contently.
"It was a good time....." Olive said while looking up at the blue sky, a smile on her face.
"No, I don't think its been a good time....UNTIL THERE IS SOME TICKLING INVOLVED!"
chocked out Sayuri as she wrestled her fingers over Olive, each of them laughing hysterically.
When the tickling stopped, Sayuri looked into Olive's bright green eyes.
"Just be careful OK? I don't want to see you hurt...." Sayuri said, warmly as Olive nodded happily.
Meanwhile, Annabella and Minnie had also gotten home from their daytime duties.
Annabella immediately started cooking with the ingredients she had picked up at the local whole foods grocery.
Her day had gone moderately well. She was accustomed to the kitchen's chaos, she knew how to deal with that at home. No, she was just emotionally shaken from the cold stares she would get as people saw her oddity.
It's not my fault I'm different.
She thought as she diced the salmon into sizes small enough for the bread.
And truly it wasn't her fault. Born in a crowded factory, she was one of the millions of lifelike dolls that were being mass-produced. They were so human in fact that they could do almost anything humans can: think, move, even give birth. But this invention was quickly turned evil when the dolls were given out to men. Dirty, mean men who would abuse them and use them until they were spent. Only one doll escaped from this cruel fate.
Annabella LaRose
In the living room, Minnie was on the couch, learning the in's and out's of "basic automobile care" She really had no idea why she was reading it, but she figured it might help her later on.
Sayuri saw both of them close together when she went downstairs to pour a glass of water before bed. She didn't even know his name and he had his hands all over her body. She hated it. Back in Veronaville it had all been the same. The faces of the men may change but the intent was the same. And her sister kept doing it, no words could stop her.
As Olive continued to laugh, a simple and quiet whip sound hit the board in the small, pin heads black mark. Annabella had hit a perfect bulls eye. Olive's laughter fell and then abruptly ended when she saw the dart's location.
"Well, I guess we both know now that dolls got game, huh Olive?" Smirked Annabella as a small smile rested on her pink lips. Olive stood with her mouth hung open.
Olive trudged over to the line and aimed a little red dart up to the board.
"Now watch this Annie, I'm about to make a Barbie outta you!"
And she set it loose, it's tail catching air but then falling flat, tumbling to the wood floors below it, missing the board completely.
"Barbie huh?" Annabella quipped, her voice even and tinged with sweet pride. "More like special dart throwing edition G.I.Jane." She said.
And they both laughed until they cried.
__________________________________________________________________________
And that concludes LaRose Chapter 1!
Please leave comments and tell me what you think. Suggest plot twists and I may even put them in the story!
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